Jessi's Pop Song
by Billy Tom Plummer Ledger
Summary: A sort of sequel to Kyle's Rock Song - only really really far out there
1. Chapter 1

Jessi's Pop Song

Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.

Looking at the fragile little stick in her hands that seemed so simple, so useless and yet so vital to her life. It was just a stick you peed on – it was below important and…

Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.

No way…

Not now…

Not ever…

Not me…

Jessi sat on her bed, tired and exhausted from the night she's had. Kyle lays next to her on the bed and they lay horizontal to each other with their hands just so close from being held.

"I don't want to sleep…" Jessi said in her sleepy voice.

"Then don't," Kyle begged as he edged closer to her.

"I wont," Jessi told him and rested her head down on a pillow. "How did I do anyway?" She asked as her eyes closed.

"You did great," Kyle assured her as he brushed his fingers through her hair.

"Hmmm…"

"_I'm not going anywhere with you, you pshyco!" Knight exclaimed._

"_You don't have too," Kyle said as he arrived from behind Knight in the darkness only to scare the poor man more. _

"_What the hell?" He panted as his hands reached for his gun only for it to be pointed at the back of his head._

"_Don't," Foss told him._

Lori and Declan just stand by their lockers, waiting for the first bell to ring and at the same time wishing it won't. Declan see's Kyle walk in with Jessi, he's never known Kyle to be late.

"Since when does Kyle arrive this late?"

"Hmm?" Lori asks as she turns around to see what Declan's eyes notice. "Oh yeah, he and Jessi are practically attached at the hip, wait no – the other day Kyle and Josh played G-Force, Jessi wasn't there."

"That was me."

"Oh, well," Lori tried hard to think. "Kyle and I still talk, at dinner and we hang out at the hut and everything sometimes, but then Jessi comes along…"

"Same here."

They both looked at Jessi and Kyle again.

"You take Jessi, I'll take Kyle," Declan told Lori and they set off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Long time, no see**

**Okay, so, since I'm having a little - eh, lets say i'm out of creativity gas and need to go fill it up at a gas station**

**Leave comments with what you think the name should be - and the gender**

**And then I shall choose**

**:) **

After school is when Declan and Kyle shoot hoops with their time that he and Lori have set apart.

"Love and hate – that's the kind of relationship I have with secrets. You love them and you hate them," Declan explained as he made it in.

"Why do you love them?" Kyle asked as the ball bounced into his hands for him to get it in through the hoop as well.

"Well every guy – and girl needs their privacy, secrets let you have that."

"Privacy," Kyle muttered.

"And you hate them because you're dying to tell someone – well, not _dying_ dying but just – ah hell, you know what I mean."

"Yeah I do," Kyle said with a sigh. "There's something I need to tell you Declan," and with that, Declan let the ball drop and miss the hoop. "When we were packing all of Knight's things while Jessi and Foss were – were doing god knows what – I found a letter in his desk," he picked out a neatly folded envelope from his jeans. "It's from Cassidy," Kyle told him.

"Can't be," Declan said with bewilderment. "He's dead – he's harder than dead – he's in hell, for all I know." Kyle just held the basketball between his hands, gripping hard, almost sucking out the air of the thing. Taking a breather, Declan waved the envelope in the air. "You haven't read it," he observed.

"Should I?" Kyle asked, now in desperate need in assistance. "I killed him – and now I'm supposed to take away his secrets as well as his life?"

"You – you want to do what with _me?_" Jessi asked, a little scared of Lori at the moment as she lounged around on the couch with Lori on the other half.

"Hillary will be there too – it'll be a girl's night out," Lori said with a smile. "Come on Jessi, you have everything – looks, body, flare and confidence with a twinge of psycho on the side but what you don't have is – well, this is just what teenage girls do."

"I'm a teenage girl?"

"In some sort," Lori found. "Come on Jessi, just come shopping with us, it'll be fun!"

"Define 'fun'."

They got to the mall, and their first stop was Baskin Robbins for something sweet. Lori simply got chocolate ice cream scoops, Hillary got a strawberry milkshake, and Jessi got a vanilla shake, fries and a cheese burger.

"Well, well, it's a wonder you stay so skinny," Hillary said in her normally high voice.

"It's all that jumping off buildings and high heights," Lori smiled as she paid for hers. "Well, I guess someone isn't going to get Sbarro later."

"Sbarro?" Jessi asked, she'd never been to a mall before.

"Only the best pizza place in the mall – and its only ever seen in malls, never any restaurants," Hillary said as she took a sip out of her milkshake as two seniors walked past, looking at her with lustful eyes. "Hey babes," Hillary flirted with a smirk on her face. "Don't be shy and she started to walk backwards. "Nice ass," she flirted.

"Hillary!" Lori scolded as she took hold of her arm. "What is wrong with you?"

"Everything, but there's _nothing_ wrong with them," Hillary started to laugh but Lori just rolled her eyes.

Jessi got nervous.

She didn't know what she was in for – and she sure as hell wasn't ready for it.

Being at knife point, being blown across a room, playing dead, jumping off tall heights, being electrocuted – well that she was used to.

Acting as a normal teenage girl, with normal teenage problems and normal teenage abilities – this was unbearable for even her. She didn't know how Kyle did it, and how he survived but then – Kyle liked this part of the game, this to him was life, everything else, and all the spy ops were just another obstacle in life that he had to overcome in order to get home on time for dinner.

Jessi took a long breath and started drinking her milk shake. _This is going to be a long night_, she thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Hillary dropped Lori and Jessi at the Trager's – Jessi was going to stay there tonight, pending Nicole's request. They walked into the house with bags of clothes and accessories.

"Okay, go up right now, like _right_ now," Lori told Jessi making Jessi laugh a little as she rushed upstairs.

"What as all that about?" Nicole asked with an amused look on her face.

"Oh, just girl stuff," Lori replied vaguely as she walked into the family room where Declan, Kyle and Josh were sitting. "Hey, how did your plans go tonight?"

"Uh, a little downward," Declan informed her. They were all playing G-Force now, "Josh talked to Andy, Kyle and I played a few games of basketball – we tried to teach Josh but he's hopeless."

"Hey!" Josh said in a higher octave as he took offense to Declan's insult. They started to fight to Declan's insult. They started to fight with their controllers in a really retarded but funny way; Kyle just leaned back into the couch, letting the controller dangle by his fingertips as he lay content on the chair. Lori and Kyle just laughed silently at how stupid the two boys looked.

"Will you two stop it already," Stephen pleaded as he walked in. "Okay, now as punishment for not complimenting your mother's new hairdo today – I have to take her to dinner."

"New hairdo?" Josh asked out loud, "she got the same thing she always does." Stephen says and then Nicole comes in.

"Hey mom, I love your new hairdo," Kyle said, though he couldn't find the difference either. Her hair was still blonde, cut short, with bangs.

"Thank you, Kyle," Nicole said with a smile. "Okay, well we better get going – Declan, are you staying the night?"

"No, my dad will freak if I don't get home on time," Declan told her as he stood up, throwing his controller at Josh's leg only for Josh to _try_ his hand at tripping him. It didn't work.

"That's different," Lori commented. "Just that – Declan's dad, he is usually so loose."

"Loose?" Declan scoffed and then something caught his attention.

Jessi.

She came down the stairs and entered the living room wearing something that was obviously new – to her and to everyone else. It was a blue halter top that had a piece of cloth tied in the front, with the rest of the fabric hung in front and a pair of dark jeans that fit her _very_ well, so well, even Declan and Josh noticed.

"Wow, Jessi," Nicole stammered, she wasn't sure what to say. In so many ways Jessi was like a daughter to her, but right now, she looked older at this moment. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, Nicole," Jessi said and then looked at Kyle, whose eyes hadn't left Jessi's…. figure at all since she appeared downstairs. Jessi looked at Lori for support but Lori just smiled and was very pleased with her experiment.

"Kyle, what do you think?" Lori asked after a long overdue silence.

Kyle's own mind was incoherent at the time – the guy who found every mathematical equation so simple and never had a raging hormone was now speechless. He was becoming more and more like a normal teenager every day.

"You look great," he finally said with confidence. "I, uh, better get to bed," he added as he left the room. Think of prunes, prunes, prunes, prunes, he chanted to himself as he went down to his tub and changed.

"I think he liked it," Lori told Jessi with a wide grin on her face. Laughing, she stood up and went to get ready for bed. "Stop drooling, Josh."

"I am not! I have a girlfriend!" Josh replied hastily as Nicole and Stephen left.

"You do truly look amazing," Nicole said as she laid a hand on Jessi's shoulder. Smiling, she added, "Just wait, Kyle's a man of few words."

"That and you can tell what he felt just by looking in his eyes," Stephen added.

"Or lower," Josh snickered and ducked right in time so he wouldn't get hit. Jessi went upstairs, just trudging after Lori and got dressed into something less… less 'amazing'. She tried to sleep, but couldn't so she did what only felt natural to her, she went to sit on the roof. Her hair was braided in two, thanks to Lori and she was wearing just a long shirt and shorts. Looking up at the stars, she felt so small but at the same time she felt as if she could take on anything, anyone.

Then she heard footsteps behind her.

"I prefer to be alone."

"I prefer you to be with someone," Kyle told her as he sat beside her, letting his hand rest on the small of her back. "Jessi, is everything okay?"

"Just fine… I just. I wanted to feel special, beautiful – I wanted you to look at me the way you looked at Amanda," she confessed.

"Jessi, you and Amanda are so completely different, and I looked at Amanda different because she was my first, you," Kyle had to speak these words, because he knew they were true and would caress a smile onto Jessi's face, "you're my soul mate." Jessi looked up at him and after a while, she did smile.

"Soul mates, huh? Well, soul mates don't go easy on each other," Jessi mocked as she stood up and prepared to jump.

"Jessi –"

"Don't," Jessi told him, completely serious, "you'll wake up the family," she told him with a playful spark in her eyes. "We'll race, to nowhere and to everywhere, the first one who stops is the one who loses."

"Jessi," Kyle said but then threw away that thought. "You're going to be sorry," he said and then jumped off the roof sideways. Jessi didn't say anything, just jumped off, with excitement running through her veins. They ran down the street, past all the houses, into the trees for a good solid few minutes, then Jessi started to lose energy, but she pushed herself to be faster, to be ahead in the game. Then her head started to spin, her eyelids couldn't resist and images, like neon colored skulls entered her brain.

She didn't want to stop, but her body obviously did, because as her eyes started to close and then she fell. Blackness overwhelmed her.

"Jessi?" Kyle asked, he was confused, didn't know what was going on, what was happening to her. "Jessi!"


	4. Chapter 4

Nicole sat at the edge of the couch; she held a glass of water in her hand and never looked away from Jessi's unconscious figure. Stephen leaned against the doorway of the living room as Kyle and Josh sat on the steps with Lori behind them on a higher one.

"What happened?" Lori asked as she let her head drop into her hands.

"She couldn't sleep – so we just decided we'd go out for a run and –"Kyle still couldn't make sense of it. His own head was jumbled together, he was concerned and worried for Jessi, but at the same time he knew she was going to be okay, because if she wasn't going to be alright…. Then he might just have to hurt someone, and Josh was the closest.

"So you two just decided to go for a run? I don't buy it," Josh said in his usual cocky and sarcastic voice.

"Josh," Lori scolded him as she punched him in the arm. "Stop being so insensitive," she ordered of him. "Jessi could be really sick," she thought out loud, and she started to worry, too.

"Was she okay when you guys were out?" Nicole asked as Stephen took her place on the couch. "Was she acting strange at all?"

"Uh, we are talking about _Jessi_, here," Josh had to say. "Sorry, Kyle," he said quietly as he looked down.

"Well," Lori started as she began to play with her fingers. "It was pretty normal, I mean, Jessi seemed a little out of it, but I assumed it was because she just never went shopping and wasn't sure what to do. You know how it is, she's never been there, so I just figured –"Lori was starting to really feel guilty here, she just assumed Jessi's innocence was at play, nothing too serious. "I didn't think –"Her voice broke and Kyle's comforting arms rubbed her back as he tried to soothe her.

"Its okay, Lori, everything's okay."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lori bugged Jessi for the fifteenth time that day, and fifteen is the actual number. Jessi's been keeping count, and Jessi couldn't help but feel agitated and annoyed at Lori's persistence, but at the same time she remembers Kyle's words from earlier.

"She's being such a pain," Jessi complained to Kyle as they walked into school together. "Every other second, are you sure you're okay? I said I was okay, already, why doesn't anyone believe me?!"

"She just cares, you and Lori are friends, whether you like it or not," Kyle told her and now those words are ringing around in Jessi's head. Friends. Friends. Friends. Friends. Friends. Friends….

Jessi's head was hurting now.

"I'm fine, Lori," she replied for the fifteenth time this day as she came back to the present. It was their lunch hour and nothing looked appetizing.

"Are you sure? You don't look so good," Lori observed as she took in Jessi's paleness and how sick she looked.

"Yeah, I'm –"she started to see the shapes again, and her stomach was doing cartwheels. Her head jerking back, she could feel the sickness in her throat and she ran out of there into the bathroom.

"Jessi!" Lori yelled and ran after her.

"Okay, I got the slushy, warm baked cookies, and –"Hillary said and then added the last ingredient for Jessi, "something to pee on."

"She's not pregnant, Hillary," Lori defended as she leaned back against the bathroom stall.

"Well of course not, Kyle's the most innocent and non hormonal boyfriend in the universe, it was just a thought. You know, for you and Mark once you guys get to that stage –"Hillary said in her sing song voice.

"No, no, no and no!" Lori said, utterly disgusted now. "Put that back," Lori said as she pushed away that little stick Hillary held out.

"Fine," Hillary said with a pout and then pounded on the bathroom stall. "Come out little girl, we have food!" Then she heard Jessi throw up. "Or not," Hillary said in a smaller voice.

"She's not feeling good."

"That's obvious," Hillary said. "Okay, well I'm hungry and missing out on lunch," so Hillary slid the bag under the door.

Jessi was tired, and she really wasn't feeling good but at the same time she was so hungry…. Her hands went greedily to the bag, but she didn't want anything to do with the slushy, but those warm cookies went down her throat easily. Then the bell rang, Jessi's hands clutched the brown bag and stuffed it into her book bag.

Though she didn't get a chance to get to class, _someone_ had called Nicole and she was there to take Jessi home.

"I called Maria, she knows you're going to be home early today and that you're not feeling so well," Nicole explained. "Do you need help getting up to the apartment?"

"No, I'm fine, Nicole," Jessi told her as her hand clung to the door. "Thanks anyway," she said and walked out of the car into the apartment building. She let her body flop down on the bed and let herself sleep for a while.

It was a long corridor of doors, a hallway that never ended and never begun and Jessi frantically tried to open each door. She pulled, tugged, kicked, and punched against the doors in frustration because they wouldn't open. None of them would open and Jessi would try as hard as she could, as hard as her body and mind would let her.

Then one of the doors opened.

It was a bathroom and in Jessi's hands was the pregnancy test Hillary had gotten earlier and it held all the answers.


	5. Chapter 5

It's a bright early morning that Josh wakes up to; his window opened with the shades up so the sun shines bright into his tired eyes.

"Ah, hell," he groans and then turns on his side as he pulls the sheets up over his head so he can go back to sleep. Stephen is still asleep, like he always does the morning after a long night at work while Nicole makes breakfast downstairs with Lori sitting at the table.

"Ugh, so glad for the weekend!" Lori exclaimed as she stretched her arms in front of her.

"Well breakfast will be ready soon, and what are you doing up this early anyway?"

"Oh, I got a date with Mark later," Lori told her with a smile. She couldn't wait for tonight – it's been so long since she's last seen Mark but now he's made up his mind – he left Latnok. Such a good little boy.

"Lori about Mark…" Nicole started but then she tilted her blonde head to the side, thought for a moment and then, "I'm not going to get in the middle of this."

"Thanks," Lori said and then noticed someone walking in the front door and towards the kitchen. "Jessi," she said softly but loud enough for her to hear. It wasn't a question, but a fact that she was in the Trager home. Nicole turns her head to see Jessi walking in.

"Jessi," she said in her motherly delightful way. Thoughts started to swirl around in Jessi's head – will I be like her? Will I have to change that much? Will my child love me like Kyle loves Nicole? And Jessi didn't know the answers to these questions, and she wasn't sure if she even wanted to see them through.

Nicole walked closer to Jessi and hugged her gently.

"It's been too long," Nicole declared as Jessi hugged her back.

"Yeah, it has," Jessi agreed and then Nicole went upstairs to wake Stephen. Jessi took her seat at the head of the table and started to talk to Lori. "Hey," she greeted.

"What are you doing up so early?"

"It's eleven," Jessi put out.

"That's early," Lori told her as she took a spoonful of cereal into her mouth. "Seriously, Jess, act likes a human teenager once in awhile," those words Lori chose made Jessi's head swirl down the rabbit hole again. A human being – she – he – it's a human being, it has a heartbeat and everything now.

"Jessi?" Lori asked with concern as she ate another spoonful of Lucky Charms. "I didn't mean it like that – like you aren't human, because you are, human enough for Kyle to be in love with you."

"You think so? You think he – he really does love me?" She asks as the insecurity thrives in her eyes.

"Where did this self conscious come from? Are you still Jessi Taylor, a bad ass who likes to kick ass," Lori kid as she stood up and put her bowl in the sink. Turning around she leaned against the counter but still faced Jessi's worrying eyes. "Okay, spill it," she ordered.

"I think – no I – I _know_ something – just something's wrong and it's really –"

"God, I've never seen you so flustered."

"Yeah well you've never seen me pregnant either," Jessi said in a lower voice under her breath and then looked up into Lori's cynical and tired blue eyes. "I'm – pregnant," she said the last word in a small and inaudible voice.

"What?" Lori asked as she went into the fridge and got a granola bar and ate a chunk of it.

"Pregnant," Jessi muttered again. "Pregnant," she said again and the third time Lori heard her.

"What?" She screamed and then lowered her voice down. "What – How – Oh my god, how did this happen?"

"Ask Kyle," was all she said and the both of them sat at the kitchen table for a while.

"This is – I mean, you're – I don't know what to say."

"That makes two of us," Jessi said as she looked down at her folded hands. "I don't know what to do – Nicole, she'd freak out and everything would just go to hell if she knew. Kyle – I can't tell Kyle."

"Why not? It's his – I mean, it _is_ his, right?"

"No, it's this guy I met during English class – yes of course its Kyle's!" Jessi joked harshly as she kicked Lori under the table.

"Ow!" Lori yelped as she ate a little bit of her granola bar.


	6. Chapter 6

**Dont yell**

**It's been a long time, yes**

**But lets just say I am Lori in this situation  
**

Lori and Mark went out to their movie first and then to dinner at someplace other than The Rack. It was a nice, quaint, and romantic restaurant. Dim lighting, round tables with vases of flowers and candles but very much laid back, acoustic guitar was being played on the stage in the back of the restaurant. Lori and Mark took a seat by the stage and a waitress came by and took their order.

"So what, are you a vegetarian tonight?" Mark teased.

"No, just not really hungry," Lori said as she let her chin fall on her folded hands as she looked down at the table.

"Everything okay?" Mark asked, now worried.

"No, it's," Lori tried to find words to explain but couldn't. She needed to tell someone but was scared of not losing Jessi's trust. "Money issues," she told Mark.

"Do you need help?" Mark offered, making Lori look up at him with those big blue eyes of hers.

"You," she started as she inhaled a breath, "are," exhale, "unbelievable. You would really give me money, if I just asked? Just like that?"

"I'd do anything for you," Mark assured her as he took hold of her hand and smiled at her, both with his lips and eyes. "I, I love you."

You could see the fear and terror in Lori's eyes but Mark didn't quaver from his confidence.

"It's okay, I don't need to hear you say it too, I just wanted you to know. I _need _you to know, in case anything ever happens…"

"What if," Lori started and then stopped to look down at her lap. "If I was – Okay," she started to move in her seat to get comfortable. "Look, so, if – what would happen – ugh! Gah," Lori couldn't get anything out now, she was too frazzled while Mark just sat there, with patient eyes. Then Lori looked up and took courage from those eyes.

"What would you do if I was pregnant?"

Mark's eyes went worried wide.

"Not that – ugh, um, because I'm not, I mean – you would know, because we haven't done anything and –"Lori couldn't breathe anymore.

"Lori, it's not," Mark's face twisted in anguish now. "It isn't Declan's, is it?"

"No! No, no, no, no, no!"

"Maybe we should just order in," Mark suggested.

After dinner, Mark walked Lori to the door, kissed her and started to walk back to his car when he ran into Kyle and Declan playing ball.

"Nice night," he commented. "Nice and dark," he muttered under his breath, but Kyle could still hear.

"Hey Mark," Declan greeted him through tight lips and cursed him repeatedly in his mind. Kyle didn't need to be a telepath to know what words he was thinking. Kyle just smirked and caught the ball from Declan's tight hands around it, almost impaling the air right out of it.

"How was your date with Lori?" Kyle asked him, and received a dark look from Declan, which just made him smile.

"It was good, uh, very climatic," Mark told them as his hands held the key into the lock of the car. He could barely move now and you could see his short breaths coming in and out. Then he turned and started to engage himself in a conversation with Declan and Kyle. "Declan, you and Lori had, sex, right?" He choked out the word sex very carefully.

Twisting his tongue, Declan made a sound and then, just, sort of stayed silent and let that lay in the winds as his answer.

"Thought so," Mark said. "She might be… pregnant, you know," Declan's hands wrapped around the ball even more tightly than before. "She asked _me_ for money, and I don't mind, because I love her," Declan swore even more now. "When she should be asking you, so why don't you just pay up for your mistakes," but in his mind the thought about how he couldn't even make enough money for condoms, crossed his mind.

"Fuck you," Mark wanted to say but instead he just got into his car and drove off.

"I am so fucked," Declan muttered.

"What do you think Lori is feeling?" Kyle asked and took another shot. It went in.

"Ah, shit," he cursed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sebatical**

**Everyone Needs One  
**

It was breakfast and a school day, so breakfast contained a popped pop tart and maybe a glass of OJ or milk. Stephen was already at work, and that left Nicole in her office, reading some therapy files and drinking her third cup of coffee. The therapy files were Kyle's and Jessi's, she just couldn't help looking back over the years.

Josh was the first one in the kitchen in the morning, he walked into the room with an energetic jump in his step, but then stopped in the doorway, he looked around, his eyes were confused. He wondered if there had been a fire, if someone had abducted his family, had killed them all, and that made him start thinking about revenge and a hint of vengeance boiled in his blood. He walked slowly into the kitchen, an air of noir in his eyes. He felt important all of a sudden.

But no one was dead, because Stephen was at work and Nicole was in her office, and Kyle and Lori were upstairs.

"What is going on?" Kyle asked, they were both dressed and ready to go for the day. "I mean, you're – how could you be pregnant? You're not pregnant," he said with defiance.

"I'm not," Lori admitted as she swiveled in her chair, her hair curled and her face prettied up with make up for the day. "Ugh!" She groaned as she stopped mid swirl and put her hands on her face. "This is so screwed up," she complained as she lifted her head and then let her feet lay on Kyle's lap; he sat across from her in a solid chair. Lori looked straight into Kyle's eyes and felt like a balloon being popped in quiet. "I'm not the one who is pregnant," she said, her face scrunching up, as it usually does when she tells the truth. "Jessi is, pregnant," she told Kyle slowly, letting it sink in for him.

"Holy effing shit," Declan said as Kyle told him the news over basketball hoops in P.E., they were paired together and by themselves, so they could talk freely. "Jessi's pregnant? She's the pregnant one," Declan echoed this in his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about what Mark had said, that scared the shit out of him, he thought he was going to have to man up, marry and waste his life away, but no, Kyle was the one who had to deal with all the family drama.

"Yeah, and she didn't even tell me," Kyle said, his eyes looked distant while he took the shot. The ball bounced on the ground and then Declan took the ball in his hands and tried to make another shot, but missed. "I don't understand why she didn't tell me, we tell each other everything. I always thought she could confide in me," Kyle rambled.

"Okay, bottom point is, Jessi's a girl, and Lori's a girl, and Lori is a blabber mouthing whore," Declan said as he held the basketball between his hands, almost ripping the air out of it before he made it in the hoop. "Cross out that last part about Lori," he said, not knowing where it had come from, maybe he was thinking about Hillary.

"Yeah, I know," Kyle said with a smirk as he took the basketball in his hands, "It's just different. Jessi's my best friend, not just my girlfriend and, after that night, when," Kyle couldn't find the words. Sex seemed like a nonchalant way to say it, and making love was only putting it mildly.

"You did it," Declan said for him as Kyle bounced the ball to him, refusing to play anymore.

"Yeah, and after that, I wanted to stay close to her, making sure she was okay and that – " Kyle sighed as his eyes look down to the ground again.

"You were afraid you were going to lose her," Declan analyzed, making Kyle's head pop up and his eyes looked as if he was guessing everything he's done through the past few days. "It's perfectly normal after the first time," he reassures.

After school Declan, Lori and Kyle met at the Rack to have smoothies. Declan and Kyle sat across from each other, and Lori sat in between them, and there was another missing chair.

"I am so screwed," Lori sighed as she rested her cheek in her hand, letting her hair fall onto the table as she leaned more toward Kyle. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone – I mean, I didn't _exactly _promise anything, but…"

"Her trust in you is going to be screwed," Kyle said bluntly. "I don't understand how she can do it, how she can keep all this to herself and not tell anyone. How can she not tell me?" He thought out loud, not really wanting an answer.

"She doesn't want to disappoint you," Lori answered unwontedly. "Jessi's independent, she doesn't want anyone's help, she doesn't want mom to know, and as time goes by, I keep on wanting to tell her."

"Me too," Kyle agreed.

"Hello! Is this bizarro world?" Declan asked, not wanting to be ignored. "Seriously, Jessi will tell you over time, Kyle, and Lori, stop feeling sorry for yourself, imagine how Jessi is feeling."

"How am I feeling?" Jessi asked, appearing out of nowhere behind Declan, making him and Lori jump in their seats and Kyle's back straighten. There was a faint smile on her lips, she looked playful, but that was just an act. She was trying really hard to act like this was any another day, like she was the perfect girl for Kyle, and not someone holding him back, like his anchor at the bottom of the sea. "How am I feeling?" She asked again, sensing the tension.

"Ugh, I'm gonna go get something to drink," Lori said, picking up her drink and leaving the table, Declan following suit.

"What's going on?" Jessi asked, a little bit unease as she sat down next to Kyle, whose eyes were frantic and mouth was twisting. Anger filled Jessi's eyes and her mouth set in a straight line, she looked away from Kyle, into nothing as her eyes bore into the table. "She told you," Jessi realized, and was planning a vengeance spree as she said the words.

"She didn't want to," Kyle said, trying to defend Lori as she leaned closer to Jessi, his hand reaching out to hers. Jessi just flinched away. "Look, Jessi, I know you must be scared. I am scared to but I'm going to be here for you, and you're going to be here for me, like always."


	8. Chapter 8

**To make up for lost time...**

Jessi had clothes laid about on her bed; she was in just a pair of dark blue jeans and a black bra as she put on shirt after shirt. What impression does she want to put on for Nicole and Stephen? The sophisticated, sewn black belt in the middle of her stomach kind of mother or the braided strap and purple tank shirt that said, Hey I'm A Teenage Mother, But I'm Hot Too. Maybe the long, light blue shirt and the light pink and light blue plaid short sleeved shirt over that, but would that be too motherly? Wouldn't that say I'm Trying to Find My Inner Child While Having a Child?

Everything was so confusing, so she went with the black racer back over laying the gray tank. Even then, while Jessi was strapping on her heels, she started to stare off into space again, because the thought of sitting across from Nicole and Stephen Trager, parents of three children, they've gone through this before, but they were married. Would they say Kyle had to marry Jessi? Would they say that they would have to do this on their own, like how they did, or would they give help? Would they be grandmother and grandpa or the relatives that never invite you back for Christmas or Thanksgiving Dinner?

Suddenly Christmas and Thanksgiving and Easter and all holidays seemed _very _important to Jessi.

"Hey," Maria said from the doorway, making Jessi jump and her shoe to fall to the ground, Jessi twisted her neck to look at Maria, Maria the one with the long brown hair and Russian good looks, the one who could wear AC/DC t-shirts with black sweats and get a point across. "Everything okay?" Maria asked with mock sympathy.

"Like you care," Jessi said coldly as she strapped up her second heel. Jessi brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she stood up and faced Maria.

"I do care," Maria said with a sly smile as she walked into Jessi's room slowly, sighing quickly, she bit down on her lower lip. "Jessi, I know I'm just some unwanted roommate, but we _are_ friends," she said, trying to convince not only Jessi, but herself.

"Since when?" Jessi asked in a sarcastic, maybe even a little bitchy voice.

"Well, since now," Maria said as she inched closer.

"Look, I have to go," Jessi said as she tried to move past Maria, and she did, only for Maria to call out for her as she got to the open door leading to the living room.

"Jessi," Maria called as her voice broke. She twisted her head a little bit to see Jessi's back, as if that did any good as she continued on with her speech, "you'll be okay, when you're at the edge of the cliff, it feels like the weight of the world, but you just have to loosen up, in the right way, before jumping off. It's the free fall where you realize everything's going to be okay at the bottom."

Jessi turned around, her brick brown eyes turned to liquid.

"You mean death?"

"Sometimes," Maria said as she inched forward. "Other times it's a rebirth," and that's when the enemies line evaporated.


	9. Chapter 9

**I better be getting reviews for this...**

Lori sat on her bed, guitar in hand and music sheets in front of her, sprawled out on her bed as Mark sat in the chair, on the other side of the room, like the good boy that he is.

"Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack," Lori sang sweetly. "With all her troubles and sorrows she's dressed in black black black," she continued on with her slow pop song. "Thoughtfully she fastens those silver buttons buttons buttons all down her back back back. All this to impress her mother mother mother as she as she asked about fifteen cents cents cents. She wanted desperately to see the elephant's elephants elephants jump over the fence fence fence.

Those great big elephant's elephant's elephants jumped so high high high in the sky sky sky. So high in the sky that they never came back back back until the fourth of July ly ly ly. Neither did Mary Mary Mary until her silver buttons buttons buttons popped off her back back back. Her mother was so worried worried worried that she lost her sense sense sense to everything around her.

The mommy kept on fretting so much she went to see the elephant's elephant's elephants jumping over the fence fence fence as they came flying flying flying down the sky sky sky, as it was the fourth of July, ly ly ly."

"That was amazing," Mark commented. "A great twist, you should definitely continue with this children de-rhyme thing," he cheered as he leaned over the space between them until he sat down in front of Lori and was kissing her.

"Well, well, isn't this a lovely sight," Josh observed from the doorway, arms folded over the chest as he spoke in his "manly man" voice, or that's what Andy called it whenever he was trying to be sexy.

"Josh!" Lori reprimanded him by throwing a pillow at him. "Get out of here!" She hissed at him, "or else I eat your brains out, dweeb!"

"Hey! I'm just the messenger," Josh explains after dodging the second pillow Lori throws at him.

"Well, good sir," Mark says as he repositions himself to look at Josh, "what is your message?"

"The message is from dad," Josh tells him bluntly, as if that explains it all and the rest doesn't even have to be said. "And he said that Mark should get his teachers aid ass out of his daughter's bedroom, or else he won't be a teachers aid ass and just a donkey," he said smoothly as he stood hovering over Mark.

"Well," Mark's hands smoothed out his jeans as he took another look at Lori. "I guess I should go," and he leaned in to kiss her on the leaps before Josh starting shaking his head and saying "nuh uh," so instead he kissed her on the cheek and departed.

Kyle opened the door for Jessi, holding a pack of Vanilla Coke in one hand and a hopeful smile on his face, though Jessi could see the worrisome, concern and doubt in his eyes.

"Everything will be okay," Kyle said, trying not to break down or scare Jessi.

"Everything would be better if I stepped inside," Jessi improvised with a nod as Kyle opened the door wider so she could sneak in.

"Jessi," Nicole said in acceptance with a warm and enthusiastic smile, she took Jessi in with wide arms and kissed her on the head like her own daughter. Stephen was behind her, sturdy and always the tall, prominent father figure.

"Hey Nicole," Jessi breathed and then smiled widely at both of them. "It's nice to see you again Stephen," Jessi breathed again. Her voice was still monotonous but tonight it was a little airy, as if she didn't have enough air already.

"You too, Jessi," Stephen agreed as he hugged her close to him and kissed her head too. "You look very nice tonight, I hope it's not just for little old me," he laughed.

"No, I'm sure Jessi looks nice every day, Stephen," Nicole scolded jokingly as she looked at him and then at Kyle. "Doesn't she?"

"Yes, she does," Kyle agreed, making Jessi turn to look at him which just made him smile as he took hold of her hand. His arm moved swiftly around Jessi's waist as he guided her to the dining table, where Lori and Josh were seated already.

"Well, if it isn't the lady of the hour," Lori smiled as she recognized Jessi coming in. "You look fantastic," she whispered.

"She looks like an m-"Josh noticed his parents and took a different turn. "Magnificent queen of hearts," he said in that loud and obnoxious voice that told everyone around him that he was lying.

"Oh wait," Kyle remembered as he stumbled backwards and grabbed something out of his jacket that hung on the coat rack. He pulled out a little black box and for a second Jessi's heart beat slowed and came to a stop before galloping a thousand times harder, almost out of her chest. "I have this for you," he told her as he put the box in Jessi's hands.

Jessi's slender fingers traced the box carefully, she wasn't sure if she wanted to open it, if she wanted this future or any future at all at this point.

"Well go on girl," Lori encouraged, but Jessi had to console into those big eyes that Lori held before getting the courage to open the box and hold the necklace inside it.

"It's a dream catcher, so you would have good dreams and sleep better," Kyle explained. "And it's pink," he shrugged as he said the last line, making Nicole laugh a little and Stephen and Josh scoff.

"Alrighty, now that we are done with the gifts, let's get down to the food," Stephen said as he took his seat at the head of table, and Nicole took hers opposite to him at the other end. Those two would always be equal and parallel in every way, shape or form. Jessi took her seat next to Josh, and Kyle wanted to tell his brother to move but thought better of it and sat across from Jessi, trying to be as equal and parallel as Stephen and Nicole were.

They ate pretty much the whole dinner away before Lori excused herself to the bathroom, agitated that no one was just coming out and saying the truth, she was about to tell them herself but knew this was something Kyle wanted to do, and he wanted to do with Jessi, his soul mate and mother to be of his child.

Josh excused himself to, saying that he needed to call Andy about something, and being very vague about it as he rushed up the stairs, leaving Kyle, Jessi and his parents alone so the fighting could erupt.

But all there was was quiet.

"Well, I should probably do the dishes," Nicole said as she started to gather them all up.

"I'll help you," Jessi answered energetically as she stood up, a little too fast for her new taste, but she hid her dizziness well, except from Kyle, of course.

"Oh you don't need to do that," Nicole offered with a smile.

"I want to," Jessi rejected as she gathered up some plates as well and then gave Kyle a look, a look saying that she would take Nicole and he would take Stephen, and so she went into the kitchen with Nicole, following her lead.

"Seriously, Jessi, this is mothers work," Nicole tries to persuade as Jessi takes her stand in the kitchen. Jessi took a long breath, recognizing this as her moment.

"Well, I want to be a mother some day," she said, collecting her voice to be as normal as it can be, for her, anyway. She just took long breaths in between takes.

"Hopefully that won't be a day too soon," Nicole joked as she started washing the first dish.

"And if it was," another deep, a more strained breath. "Too soon, anyway, what would happen then?" Jessi asked in a more agonized voice. All of her problems leaking through her voice, her eyes, boiling in the sweat off her skin.

Nicole turned around slowly and took in the situation carefully, her eyes wide with distress.

"Is it too soon?"

Taking a gulp, Jessi's wide eyes and awkward nod answered for her.

All while Kyle and Stephen sat at the dining table, listening to the girl's conversation.

"So you're going to be a dad," Stephen said after some time of awkward silence, he looked at Kyle, as normal as ever, as if he was asking Kyle about homework and expecting the I'm Done response. Stephen was taking this coolly, the way he always does when it comes to Kyle, because when it comes to Kyle, he knows everything will work out, that Kyle will fight for the happy ending, if not for him, but for the people he loves.

"Yeah," Kyle said, taking a large gulp of his own.

"Good luck," Stephen promised as he took a drink.


	10. Chapter 10

**Just thank Anna27 for all of this hard work and inspiration**

**And for the next chapter in Kyle and Jessi's life**

**help me pick out the name for their next chapter,**

**that's where the inspiration is dulling  
**

It was after dinner, most of the Trager household were asleep, Lori in her bed as she dreamed of little girls and their jump ropes and musical rhymes, and Josh in his bedroom, with porn magazines filling out his bed. Kyle wasn't even in the house; he had permission to stay with Jessi, who was numb with fear.

Stephen and Nicole stood in the kitchen, two cups of warm hot chocolate in their hands.

"Oh dear god," Nicole mumbled as she took a small sip. "I can't believe they're going through this, at seventeen," she couldn't grasp onto the thought, the reality yes, but inside, she wanted to run and hide in the past, where Kyle was still innocent as a new born baby.

"Well, it was bound to happen," Stephen said as he leaned into the counter, facing the wall.

"Stephen!"

"Hey, hey," Stephen hushed, now on the defensive side as he straightened his back and turned to Nicole, leaving his cup on the counter. "I didn't mean it like that, it's just… it's obvious that Kyle and Jessi have a very deep connection, and I know this is very soon and they have so much a head of them, but at least they'll have us to take some of the burden off their shoulders," and he took hold of Nicole's wrists and held her close, "they won't be alone."

"What if I won't be a good mother?" Jessi asked, as the numbness wore off and her sensitivity spiked up. It was dark in her bedroom, especially after Kyle closed the door behind them. "What if I can't go through with it? I mean, I can barely get along with people, will I get along with our daughter? Our son? What if it's a boy, or a girl?" Jessi asked, she spun around and Kyle could see the agony in her eyes. "I – I don't think I could do this," Jessi said as she broke down and shook with tears. Kyle held her close and played with her hair as he kissed her head.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," he repeated. "I love you Jessi, I love you so much. I won't let you be anything but your best, and if this child knows what's good for them, they'll love you, because you'll be a part of them, like how you're a part of me. I love you," he said one last time as he buried himself in Jessi's hair.

"Let's go to bed," Jessi suggested as she took hold of Kyle's hand and lead him to the bed, Kyle leaned in and kissed her on the lips until they were under the covers, and he held her in his arms until Jessi stopped shaking from the tears. He even shed a few himself, but kept himself together so that Jessi would find the strength to go on.

It was early in the morning, about five thirty or so when Kyle snuck into the house, quiet, and not to be seen if the day was going to be like any other, but it wasn't, because down the hall, in the kitchen was Stephen and Nicole making breakfast, cooking was just something Nicole could do so her mind wouldn't wander off so much.

"Well, I just don't think it would be all that great for Jessi to be on her own right now, she needs all the support she needs."

"Yeah, but she has that roommate," Stephen remembered.

"Maria?" Nicole asks, turning around but then shaking it off and then turning back to the food. "No, Maria won't mind, I hope not anyway. I think it would just be good for Jessi to be around an experienced mother," Nicole thought out loud. Stephen wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck carefully.

"Maybe that would be best, I know Kyle would prefer to have Jessi around, though Josh might kill her once the irritation sinks in."

"Jessi might kill Josh," Nicole laughed.

"Whatever it is," Stephen twirled Nicole around so that they could face each other. "We'll handle it," he assured her, and himself.


	11. Chapter 11

**yeah, I know you've all given up on this story, but I'm trying to get a better handle on everything and finish off some things due to finals and winter break, so we're around the corner of the dead end**

"Ugh," Lori groaned as she arched her neck, her palm rubbing against her skin and then her other hands fingers rubbing at her temples. "Hmmm…" She moaned as she started to soothe her head ache.

"What's wrong?" Jessi asked as she peered over from the seat next to Lori.

"Pregnant woman," Lori complained in a shushed voice so the other mommies to be wouldn't snap at her. "You all disgust me," she joked as she shook her head. Then she arched her head so it tilted to the left as she looked up into Jessi's eyes. "Not really, Jessi. That was a joke," she tried to explain dryly.

"You didn't have to come," Jessi told her in her static voice.

"Yeah, well it was either me or mom and you made the choice for me, so thanks," Lori said, her voice heavy with resentment and sarcasm. Sighing, she tried to apologize. "Look, it's just a fear I have – its irrational," she explained.

"That's what fear means," Jessi said as Lori snapped her eyes at her.

"I _will _take you and your baby, I don't care if its foot comes out and slaps me," and Jessi didn't understand her movie reference, and looked very confused as she tried to figure it out, replaying the movie _Juno_ through her head many times and still not understanding it.

"Jessi Taylor," the nurse called out as she stood in the doorway that parted the waiting room and the hallway of the doctors' offices.

Taking a deep breath, Lori kneeled down in her seat to grab her purse before she stood up and Jessi did the same, echoing her sigh.

"This will be okay," Lori said, trying her best to reassure Jessi. She looked like a lost puppy dog without Kyle here, and this was a job meant for Nicole Trager, not seventeen year old Lori. "Are you sure I'm not supposed to be eighteen?"

"Well it doesn't matter, because I lied and told them you were on the form," Jessi smiled, proud of her accomplishments.

"There was a form?" Lori hissed as Jessi took the lead and took a step in front. _So that's where my fake ID went… _Lori thought to herself.

They both went into the small doctor's office, and a woman, kind of tall and older with graying hair accepted them, told Jessi to lay back on the bed and started putting some goo on her stomach.

"Whoa," she gasped as she took in the cold. "That's freezing," she complained in a giggly voice, trying to keep up appearances as a normal pregnant sixteen years old.

"Yeah, I know. I remember when I was on this table," the doctor told them. Neither of them had caught her name, they were too freaked to pay attention.

"I can't believe I'm on it," Jessi told her with a polite smile as the doctor moved the mouse on her stomach and stared at the ultrasound.

"Neither cans me," Lori mumbled under her breath cynically.

"Alright, so have you thought of any names for your baby?" The doctor asked a sly smile on her lips.

"Um, I don't know," Jessi said truthfully. "I haven't thought of it, but maybe Sarah, after my birth mother, or Nicole, she kind of adopted me and Kyle," she explained.

"Don't say that, it sounds like incest," Lori commented as she continued staring at the screen. "Um, what about other names?"

"Ugh, I don't know," Jessi sighed. "Adam, maybe, like Adam Thomas or Thomas Adam, I want it to be sentimental, in a way. Not just some stupid surname," she rambled on.

"I like Thomas Adam, something you and Kyle have in common," Lori told her. "After all, it's a boy," she told Jessi with a smirk, squeezing the hand she was holding.


	12. Chapter 12

**This ain't exactly the end**

Lori dropped Jessi off at her apartment, leaving Jessi to carry some of the baby bags after some fuss about it, so Jessi carried all four of them, balancing act, a kind of practice, since she heard mothers had to balance a lot, especially teen ones, she was just lucky she had Kyle, and she knew it. It was a struggle to get into her apartment, the keys fell often and kept on having to lean down, she was lucky she wasn't that huge yet, but… whatever, and after a while, she finally managed to open the door into the dark apartment.

"Maria?" She called. "Are you in there?" She asked as she tried to set the bags down on the end table next to the door, only it was in the dark and there were four of them, and such a small table that it really didn't work out so well as she stepped inside her trap.

From behind her, a hand cupped over her mouth, not letting her scream.

"Boo, neighbor."

* * *

The attacker fell back, Jessi had bitten his hand off and that surprised him… his voice was deep and husky, he was African American, she knew that, but she didn't know her neighbors all that well… unless they fought a lot, and he didn't. She started to walk backwards into the larger space of the apartment, and from behind the counter in the kitchen, was the girl from the grave, a butcher knife in hand, and she looked creepy, standing still, a knife in the air.

"Boo," she spoke softly, making Jessi jump and turn around. Not waiting to hesitate, Jessi kicked her in the stomach, hard enough to send her flying into the refrigerator, the large knife across the kitchen floor, and Jessi went around the counter, the way that didn't involve the body, but didn't get a chance to pick it up.

"Maria…" she breathed as she saw her roommate pick it up, analyzing it perfectly. As soon as the image clicked in her mind, which was pretty quick, anger set into her eyes, pouring out like rain with no sun. "You son of bitch," she called out and then flung herself at her, but Maria blocked herself and pinned her up against the wall in her attempt.

"Oh, now, now," Maria told her in that sinisterly sweet voice of hers as she used the knife to circle Jessi's stomach. "We wouldn't want to harm the baby, would we?"

* * *

"It's a boy?" Kyle asked, still divulging everything Lori could tell him, after all, on the car ride to her apartment, Jessi told Kyle she was just going to go home to sleep.

"Yeah, how does Thomas Adam, sound?" Lori asked, in that all knowing omniscient tone of hers. They all were in her bedroom, Lori, Kyle, Declan and Josh sitting on the bed. Kyle sitting on the edge, the closest to Lori as he faced her to listen to every detail she could spout, he would wait for Jessi but Lori roped him into it, and Declan sat next to Lori, leaning against her bed frame like he owned the place, and Josh across from Declan, at the far edge of the bed, planning his escape, all of this baby talk had in him in a weird mood. He had even brought it up Andy… not a good conversation.

"Sounds like something out of a history book," Josh smirked, making Lori glare at him, "hey, can I call him T.A.?"

"Like Tony Alva," Declan amused himself, and then Lori glared at him too. "Just saying," he said as he leaned back into the bed frame, a little uncomfortable from Lori's stare.

* * *

In the dark, Maria cupped Jessi's chin with her hand, her mouth so close to Jessi's, she could feel her every breath, and it tingled her spine, sending shivers everywhere in between them. Jessi had been betrayed, but hell, at least she expected it before hand, hell, she could never have the normal life like Kyle wanted, she just attracted trouble, and before attracting anymore, she sent a quick prayer, a very rare occurrence, to all the gods that her son wouldn't inherit that trait from her.

Jessi broke free from Maria's surprisingly strong hold on her, kicked her in the stomach, making her fall back into the counter, hitting her back on the edge, making her lean forward as she hurled in pain. The knife had been dropped to the floor again and Jessi was quicker than her, and picked it up, and entitling all of the rage that was her, spoke slowly and with enough conviction that an army of soldiers would have bowed down and called her queen.

"Don't you ever come back here again," she hissed as she traced the knife across Maria's throat. "Or I'll slit you dry," she threatened, but then from behind her vision, something she didn't expect, and didn't see because Maria's head was down, was the gun that was cocked from behind her head.

"Knife. Down. Now."

"You better listen to him," the other woman said as she walked out of the darkness and into the light, well, the light of Jessi's eyes. From similar characteristics and accents, she could easily detect Cassidy's sister.

* * *

"Why can't guys go to the baby shower?" Kyle asked, confused now.

"Cause it's a chick thing," Declan told him. "Trust me, you don't want to go."

"But I do," Kyle said, still not understanding it.

"Dude, we'll go see a movie – a horror movie, it'll be like when she gives birth," Josh jokes with a slight punch in Kyle's arm. "What?" He goofed as Lori glared at him again.

"Jessi is going through a lot of stress right now, okay? Give her some grace, okay?"

* * *

"Get lost," Jessi told Cassidy's sister.

"Sorry, not in my vocabulary," she said. "Let her go, Maria," and with that, Maria shoved her from her hold, but Jessi fell back into the man, who pushed her to the ground, Jessi landed on her stomach, and she gasped for one final breath before she drew another. "Oh please, I know all about you're con tricks," Katharine spoke into Jessi's ear as she leaned down and brushed a strand of hair behind an ear. Leaning down closer, she breathed. "I even know how your boy killed my brother."

"Your brother tried to kill Kyle," Jessi spat, fighting out the words. "He deserved to die – he killed my mother."

"Yeah, he did," Katharine admitted, "but so did I," and she unleashed the maternal instinct.

* * *

A slight ringing turned on in Kyle's head as Lori and Declan fought over something, and how Josh was making small innuendos about it, and the ringing was consistent, it felt like it would make his ears bleed, and he thought he understood what was happening, but this was so unusual he couldn't be sure. His fingers flew to his temples and a quick image came in and out of his mind, it was dark, so he couldn't see much at the one shot that he had, but there were three people standing around… Jessi? Yeah, that was Jessi, and she was lying on the floor, withering in pain. Just as soon as it came, it went.

"I have to go help her," Kyle said, "Jessi," he breathed one last time and then flew out of there, with Declan trailing at his side.

"Hey! Hey, hey, man," Declan said as he chased Kyle down the stairs, but he had to pull at him for Kyle to turn around. "What's going on here? Huh?"

"Jessi – I saw – I saw _something_. It was her, she's in trouble," Kyle tried to explain, but even he didn't understand.

"Like what? Like a vision? A splash of light? Hey! What was it?" Declan barked as Kyle lost attention and tried to move again, but he held him down.

"Three on one," was all Kyle could make out, and Declan could see the rage building up inside him.

"Kyle, this isn't like you – this is like Jessi," he said.

"Well, maybe now we're in each other's shoes, but she needs me and I just can't keep her lying there! Declan, come if you want, but don't slow me down, I have a feeling – just a hunch that this has something to do with Cassidy." Kyle explained in whispers as he leaned in closer to tell Declan.

"Oh, that bastard? I'll do anything you need," Declan offered and then they left the building to go help the damsel in distress.

* * *

At the apartment, Jessi was using her night vision now to help her out, and was tapping into the power of her super strong and smart kiddy to beat the asses. The first one to go was that bitch, Katharine, Jessi quickly grabbed the knife from under her, causing Katharine to fall on top of her once she turned on her back, not hesitating a second, Jessi killed her with her own weapon, and the household tool she would have to burn afterwards. Leaving that body on the floor, she jumped up. Maria gasped, took a step back in surprise, she never believed any of them could die. The guy, the strongest of them all, for sure, didn't hesitate in his mark for Jessi, he didn't look when Maria ran out of there, and he just lunged for Jessi and his broad hands were aiming for Jessi's throat.

She moved to the side, but he didn't fall easily, so he tried to throw a punch, which Jessi gladly blocked, and then she punched him in the stomach, the ribs, kicked a few times in the knee caps, before finally landing one hard blow to the balls. He stumbled backwards. Not just anger flooded his blood lust eyes, but embarrassment now, and she had him exactly where she wanted him, and he lunged at her once again, but Jessi had the knife in her hand and gutted him once in the heart, a good, fatal blow that let him fall forward once Jessi moved out of the way.

Paralyzed now, she felt the blood, and walked backwards, falling down, no longer having the balance of her legs. Sitting on the floor of her apartment, she rocked back and forth, back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth…

The lights came on quickly enough and Kyle and Declan came rushing in, but stopped short when they saw the bodies, and Jessi, drenched in blood that wasn't all hers, and Declan carefully walked around the bodies, but Kyle just rushed to her side, so Declan let go of the odd feeling inside and just went with it, kneeling by Jessi's other side.

"Jessi," Kyle said as he tried to take her arm. "Jessi, Jessi! Listen to me –"He started but she interrupted him.

"I lost the baby…" Was all Jessi could form to say, as she looked at the hand she had laid on her stomach, the one with fresh blood out of it, stared in shock at the blows she had taken herself but hadn't felt, and fell back into Kyle's arms, blackness surrounding her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thirteen years in the future…**

Jessi sat at the round table in the kitchen, reading the newspaper, drinking her usual cup of coffee in the morning with PBS in the background, across from her was a little baby boy sitting in a high chair, he was so adorable the spitting image of his father, and his name was Adam, he was only about two and a half years old, with just rare but soft black hair on his head, and the small, narrow lips, pale skin and light eyes. He was so amused, but he was just playing with his food.

"Harrison, could you help your brother with his breakfast?" Jessi asked, not looking up from her paper or even stopping from taking a sip of her coffee. Harrison, the first son who was sitting at the right of his mother got up from his chair and took the spoon and force fed his baby brother, Jessi just looked up and smiled at them. "Harry, you're six, not Hitler," she said with a scoff as she set down the paper and stood up, she was wearing just a simple outfit, but simple in the way that was elegant to everyone else. Harrison didn't understand her expression but tried to be gentle with his baby brother, sometimes patting his back when he started coughing, but he was gentle, so that was good. Harrison had Kyle's hair, and his eyes, but those were Jessi's lips and bone structure as well as a nose. He was the perfect mixture of both his parents.

They would have named his Thomas at first, but he told them he would like Harrison better, and took the occupation of his godfather with pride, as well did Stephen for Adam.

Kyle came into the kitchen, walking as he was tying his tie, not a good combination when he had to get to school early. He wasn't a professor, a scientist or anything like that, he was a teacher and kind of an unguided counselor to his students, and he taught high school too, sometimes a few college courses when UDub needed him. Jessi, pressing her lips down took control of the situation and started helping him.

"Sometimes I wonder what you would ever do without me," she murmured as she finished his tie, patted it down and then kissed him good morning.

"I prefer not to dwell in depressing thoughts," Kyle said, a quick and easy smile forging on his lips, it was irresistible as he pulled Jessi closer, his arms around her waist and kissed her again, a few reassuring kisses when it came to the end of the school year like this. Their eldest daughter came down the stairs, into the kitchen and saw her parents being all gushy and she turned terrified. She looked the most like her mother, she was just nine years old but the characteristics were already forming.

"Ew," she said, making her nose wrinkle. She always spent way too much time with her aunt Lori, "that's just wrong," she said as she took a seat at the table, a bowl already in wait for her for when she had come down five minutes ago to set it up.

"Tempest, you know you're just jealous that you didn't get a kiss as well," Kyle joked, it was a regular tease for when she got all teenage on them when she was just in the fourth grade.

"Whatever," she said, a mouth full of Lucky Charms in her mouth. Kyle smiled again, he was a great dad, always there for anyone, to tell a midnight story or share a laugh with, he had become a very easy going guy, a lot like Declan in ways, seeing as how they were best friends, some of that had to rub off. Kyle kissed her forehead and whispered that he loved her to her as he rubbed her back and then stood tall.

"Alright, my boys, you two going to behave?" He asked, somewhat teasing and not, Harrison sometimes had problems at school, he was always anxious to get out and play, it was normal, but with his mothers genes it could turn lethal, they were lucky he wouldn't have recess in high school, when everything would really turn out of whack.

Little baby Adam just nodded his head, a little aggressively for a two year old, making his mother chuckle as she brewed another pot of coffee. Jessi worked as a detective in Seattle, for the good guys, even though she still had some bad in her… that haunted past that would never leave.

"Alright, I'll see you two later," Kyle said, giving Adam a soft kiss on the head and Harrison a quick hug. He kneeled down to match his sons height and started talking to him, but Harrison just fiddled with his zipper as he did. "Hey, look, I know you didn't have to push that kid, Jeremy, down the other day, so, would you do me a favor and apologize?" He asked, his arms still around the kids waist, and Harrison nodded shyly, he wouldn't admit it, but he felt bad for it, and the truth is, Jeremy was his friend. "Thanks, little man," Kyle said and kissed his son on the cheek. "I love you," and he tousled his brown hair before getting on his way again.

Jessi followed him to the front door and Kyle turned around, gave her another kiss on the cheek, but Jessi took hold of his arm to stop him.

"They called again," she told him, and those three words created Kyle's body to turn cold. Jessi fidgeted with her fingers in anticipation.

"Call Declan, he'll take you," he said and then kissed her forehead. "He'll be alright," he told her and then he scoffed a little. "Hell, he'll be more than alright, he's Foss, when has he ever not been around for us?"

"I know – but I'm just worried that he won't be able to be around for Harrison," Jessi confided. "He has so much to teach him, I mean, we don't – we can't claim everything."

"Hey," Kyle said in a cheery voice as he lifted her chin with his finger. "We've gotten this far," he pointed out, and gave her a light kiss on the lips.


End file.
